Mom has been on methadone for 25 years. Is this necessary?

From what I hear 25 years I a hell of a long time to be on a detox plan. You need to talk to a legitimate dr and figure out a plan to get her off these meds.

if she is falling asleep and nodding off all the time, i am sorry to say, she is Nobody needs to be on methadone, but if it a choice between heroin, most people find methadone a relief, i have tried to get off 3 time, see other posts. It seems like she is substituting one addiction for another, she will be in a hell of a lot of pain and sick for years. It is virtually impossible to get off this drug, and if she is on government assistance i would think they would cover. If she gets carries, take home doses that she isnt taking anything else, if she has to go everyday to pharmacy everyday she is probably mixing with xanax which intensifies the high to give her that state of euphoria. I am on 60 mgs, feel fine and never nodding out. The clinic is always a scam, they want you on that program for the $ and the more patients they have the more $ they make, it is sad, but big pharma and all the rest of the powers that be really dont care about your best interests at heart. But in retrospect $65 is way cheaper then any opiate especially heroin addiction. She also may be scamming you, although we cant control it and we feel guilty for doing it, to remain in that state of bliss, we lie, steal manipulate etc, as to not deal with life. I have lots of experience with methadone, email me if you need anything at all. ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** private e-mails not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use

you arew rong about not being able to come off.If they detox you 2 mg.s a week,then you stop for a week or two IF you get uncomfortable, you can rest assuredly and successfully come off of methadone.You shuold not tell people this,because I am on it and I am down to 46 mg from 100 mg with little to no discomfort. I also know others who have come off methadone.Don't post that because You CAN come off methadone and will not be miserable as long as its done slowly.Get your facts straight! Grrrrr. Toodles:)

The only reason she needs to be on it is because she's at that stage where it's either methadone or dope.  Unfortunately people won't make the right decision.  Basically regardless of her decision, I wish you the best.  I'm on methadone and I've been for 3 years now and I'm tapering...I've witness the people who stay on forever and they are all the same.  Nobody works, they all leech off the government, and sell their takehomes.  You need to do you a favor and worry about you.  I know you love her but don't let her pull you down with.  I wouldn't want my son or daughter supporting me for my bad decision.

She does not need it, SHE WONT'S IT. she is scared to death to detox. I was on it for 21 years. I would help her with money but only if she would start a slow detox. Now that's if she does not have a bad pain form the car wreck, The pain excuse is used many times so a addict can get their drug.

I work at a good methadone clnic and your mom is probly on a high dose and needs to have her counselor work hard at that. She will go through hell if she gets off just like that. but if she has a good counselor he or she could do it. She needs to get down to a thraputic dose and she would be pretty much normal and not seem high.

I wanted to update everyone on my original post from a couple years ago. I truly thank everyone for their responses!

Last month my mother decided unilaterally to take herself off methadone - cold turkey. She told nobody - not even her clinic. My mother had a stroke in 2010 and her brain was already very fragile. Two weeks after taking her dose I realized something was very wrong (I live out of state). I realized what she had done and had her admitted to a hospital that managed methadone detox (not many do apparently in Phoenix). Her blood pressure was terribly high and and she was extremely lethargic. At first I thought she had another stroke, but she didn't.

The methadone is now out of her system but it seems to have taken it's toll. She has really bad short term memory loss and now needs home health. She doesn't know the date or year and I am monitoring her to see if she needs to be placed in a skilled nursing facility. I can't say if the impaired brain functioning (she was not this bad after the stroke - this has just happened since she cold turkey detoxed) is due to the cold turkey detox, but I have a feeling it obviously is.

I just wanted to update everyone on my last post and iterate: DO NOT EVER DETOX YOURSELF OFF METHADONE OR ANY OTHER DRUG COLD TURKEY WITHOUT MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.

I hope my mom gets better. The doctors seem to think over time her short term memory will repair itself. Her brain has simply been traumatized. Please hope for the best! And again, thanks to everyone for their posts!

I am sorry I sure hope Mom gets better, but sometimes their is no one to help us, believe me I have been trying for a long time. IF I do not have outstanding insurance or a lot of cash, I simply must be strong and bite the bullet and hope like heck it works. I have taken 1 Norco at 900 am this morning, and that's all, I have been tapering off for 6 days I used to take 10-12 5-325 Norco per day for 10 years. It is getting a little crazy right now, but not to bad. (so far) good luck to all I will be checking in from time to time. Trixie